DA Form 5960: Fill Out Online in 2026

DA Form 5960 is an official U.S. Army document used to start, change, or stop a Soldier’s housing allowance. It records the Soldier’s dependency status and living arrangements so the Army can determine the correct Basic Allowance for Quarters (BAQ) and/or Variable Housing Allowance (VHA).

During in-processing, each Soldier must recertify eligibility for Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), even if the Soldier has no dependents. The information on DA Form 5960 supports that review and helps prevent incorrect housing payments.

You must give complete and accurate details. A false statement may lead to court-martial and penalties of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Soldiers should report later changes in dependency or housing status so their allowance can be updated.

DA Form 5960 is used to start, change, or stop a service member’s housing allowance entitlement. You may need to complete it during in-processing to recertify Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) or BAQ, even if you have no dependents. It records the facts your finance office uses to set the correct allowance.

You may submit the form after marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child because these events can change dependency status. It is also used after a permanent change of station, when moving into or out of government quarters, or for annual housing allowance recertification. The form helps determine whether payments should begin, end, or be adjusted.

You can get a blank DA Form 5960 through PDFLeader. A blank copy is already loaded in our browser-based editor, so you do not need to find and download a separate template.

The U.S. Department of the Army issues the form. This edition was released on July 1, 2021, and its proponent is the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller, ASA(FM). You can also check the Army Publishing Directorate for official publication details. PDFLeader lets you fill out and download the completed form for future use, but it does not file or submit it.

Route your completed DA Form 5960 through your unit’s personnel actions office, often called S1. Your commander must sign it before S1 forwards it to your servicing finance or personnel office, also known as the FAO or HRO. Army Reserve members may need to send it to the USAR Pay Center instead.

DA Form 5960 is generally handled as a signed paper form, not through an online portal. Follow your unit’s instructions for hand delivery or mailing. After the commander signs, send it to the correct office promptly so staff can process your housing allowance change.

Active-duty Soldiers must complete DA Form 5960 when their Basic Allowance for Housing status needs to be established, changed, or ended. The Soldier’s commander must also complete the required section and sign Block 16. This signature confirms the information and authorizes the action. The form cannot be processed without it.

After completion, the Soldier submits the form to the servicing finance or personnel office. Staff in that office use the certified details to start, stop, or adjust housing allowance payments based on the Soldier’s current dependency and housing status.

Download the filled DA Form 5960 from PDFLeader, then print and sign it by hand. The service member must sign the form, and the commander or first commissioned officer with DD Form 577 signature authority must also sign it. An unsigned form may delay payment. Check the latest updates and confirm the required signature method with your S1 or finance office before submitting the form outside PDFLeader.

Before completing DA Form 5960, have your full legal name, Social Security number, current grade, type of action, complete unit address for duty location, effective date, and BAQ type. You will mark the boxes that apply.

Also gather your marital/dependency status. If you rent, have the landlord’s name/address, landlord’s phone no., and rental/residential address. If you select “OTHER” for dependency status, prepare DD Form 137 to establish dependency. Have your VHA expense information ready, including your monthly expenses and your dependents’ monthly expenses, if any. You must then sign the signature/certification, confirming that all information is correct and that you will promptly report changes, such as marriage, divorce, death, or moving into government quarters, to the FAO/HRO.

DA Form 5960 has no fixed calendar deadline. Submit it as soon as an event affects your BAQ or VHA, such as marriage, divorce, a birth or adoption, a change in dependents, a move into or out of government quarters, a permanent change of station, or deployment.

You may also need to submit the form after you first apply for an allowance, when a change in your expenses affects your entitlement, or when your dependency status must be recertified. Recertification may be required each year or every three years. Prompt submission helps keep your pay correct and reduces the risk of an overpayment debt.

A separate paper DA Form 5960 is not required when the entitlement action is completed through IPPS-A. The same supporting documents and approval requirements still apply.

For U.S. Army Reserve cases, do not create the form by another method. RLAS must generate DA Form 5960 through its Resource Management module. No official guidance provides an exemption based on a fixed dollar amount. VHA is now obsolete because it was incorporated into BAH.